Lupe Fiasco performed at a private inaugural event at The Hamilton in downtown DC, and as you may have heard or read, he left the stage earlier than expected.

What did he do?

Lupe kept playing the song, “Words I Never Said”, a 2011 anti-war track that got some attention but was never a hit. It wasn’t just a long remix version of the song…it was the same track…begin played from start to finish for a whole half hour…straight.

He also talked about how he didn’t vote for Obama. Well, you know how that was received, especially during inauguration weekend. He was eventually told to move on to the next song. He refused…so a team of security guards came on stage and escorted him off.

But was he kicked off?

We can’t post the video here…but if you search “Lupe Fiasco Kicked Off Stage” on YouTube you can see for yourself.

According to the organizers, “Lupe Fiasco was not ‘kicked off stage’ for an ‘anti-Obama rant.’ We are staunch supporters of free speech, and free political speech. This was not about his opinions. Instead, after a bizarrely repetitive, jarring performance that left the crowd vocally dissatisfied, organizers decided to move on to the next act.”

SMH?

Was this a simple case of free speech gone wild? If so, why make such a political statement at an inauguration event you were invited to and were paid to perform?

Or, was this a case of another hip-hop recording artist trying to get headlines for being highly controversial?

Our country was built on the freedom to express yourself and we all know censorship can also be used as a hammer to suppress public discourse, but there is something to be said about common sense and appropriateness.

Or is this a case of what a lot of our grandmothers would say….”That boy needs Jesus.”